Golf-club shaft



Patented Aug. 31, 1926.

CUTHBERT S. BUTCHART, OF RYE, NEW YORK.

OFFICE..

GOLF-CLUB SHAFT.

Application tiled March 8, 1926. Serial No. 93,259.

This invention relates to improvements in gold club shafts.

The majority of golf players prefer golf clubs having their shafts of hickory wood because of the strength and resiliency of such wood but, in order to possess the required rigidity, the dimensions of shafts formed of this wood are usually'such that the shaft is heavy and of such diameter as to be noticeably subject to wind resistance. Therefore, one of the primary objects of the present invention is to provide a golf club shaft of such construction that it will be somewhat lighter than a hickory shaft of corresponding dimensions and yet will ybe Vso strengthened, in accordance with the principles of the invention, that it may be made of diameter dimensions smaller than the ordinary lhickor)T shaft, so that it'will not be 'noticeably subject to wind resistance and will, at the same time, be more rigid .than the ordinary hickory shaft and yet possess an equal degree of resiliency.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a golf club shaft so constructed that while it will possess a desirable deg'ree of rigidity or stiffness, its waist portion will possess the necessary degree of resiliency and flexibility to enable the player to deliver more effective strokes than if the entire shaft were of hickory. It is a well known fact that the greatest strain set up during the stroke and at the moment of impact of the head of the club 5 with the ball is imposed on that portion of the shaft approximately six inches above the head of the club and. therefore, the invention has afurther object to provide a club shaft so constructed that there will be o no likelihood of breakage of the shaft under this .torsional strain.

Tn the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a view in elevation of a golf club, the shaft of which is constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a detail view in elevation of the lower portion of the shaft.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view through the shaft.

Figure 4 is a detail horizontal sectional view taken substantially on the line 4-4.l of Figure 3, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows, and illustrating one construction of the shaft. l

Figure 5 is a similar view taken substantially on the line 5-5pf Figure 2, looking 1n the direction indicated by the arrows.

Figure 6 is a horizontal sectional view illustrating another construction of shaft.

Figure 7 is a similar view illustrating another construction of shaft.

Figure 8 is a similar view illustrating still4 another construction of shaft.

A golf club constructed in accordance with the present invention includes the specially constructed shaft embodying the invention, indicated, in' general by the numeral 1 and h aving the usual grip portion 2, waist portion 3, and head 4 into the socketed sha-nk of which the minor end of the shaft is fitted and secured.

The shaft l comprises a core indicated by the numeral 5, which core is of hickory wood, and,from its end which is inserted into the socketed shank 0f the-head 4, torna point within the bounds of the waist portion 3 of the shaft as a cross section. In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figures 4 and 5 of the drawings, the core 5, from the point statedto its butt end, is of rectangular form in cross section and gradually of decreasing cross section-al dimensions in the direction stated, so that this portion of the length of the core is provided with longitudinal faces which are indicated by the numeral 6. In the specific embodiment illustrated in Figures i and 5, and-which embodiment is likewise exemplified in Figures 1, 2 and 3, strips, of Vhard. wood, indicated by the numeral 7 and of segmental form in cross section, are disposed at their flat sides against opposite faces of the core 5 and these strips are of gradually decreasing width and thickness from their upper ends, their ends which substantially register withthe upper or minor end of the core, to their lower ends, so that the strips are, in effect, gradually tapered both transversely and in the direction of their thickness dimension. 100

@ther strips 8, likewise of a wood harder than the hickory wood of which the core 5 v is formed, are interposed `between the portions of the flat faces ofthe Strips 7 which project beyond the other opposite sides of 105 the core 5 and these strips "likewise are of decreasing width and .thickness from their upper ends which substantially register with the upper or butt end of the core 5, to their lower. ends. The strips 7 are adhesively 11 whol eis circular in or, in other words, 95

, 59 the square 'portion of the shaft,the diagonal united to the said opposite faces of the core 5 core of the shaft is indicated by the numeral -12 and the hard wood strips by the numeral and likewise to the opposite sides of the strips 8 which are interposed between their projecting side portions and, in like manner, the inner faces of the strips 8 are adhesively united to the other opposite faces of the said core 5. Wi'th the'V strips thus assembled about the core, the shaft as a whole is turned or finished so that the upper surfaces of the strips will merge 'with the circumferential surface of the waistof the core and terminate at their extremities at this portion of the core, as indicated by the numeral 9. As stated, the wood of which the strips 7 and 8 are formed isharder than hickory wood and in the production of these strips, hard wood such as green heart, bamboo, black palm, and the like, may be employed.`

From the foregoing, it will be evident that the shaft, when finished, constitutes-a composite structure including a core and reenforcing strips arranged about the core and extending longitudinally thereof and of a wood-harder than the Wood of the core, the strips, however, being gradually merged with the surface of the core at and adjacent their lower ends and at thewaist portion 3 of the shaftgas a whole, so that while the waist portion of the shaft possesses all of the desirable properties of hickory wood, such as strength and resiliency, the portion of the shaft between the butt end thereof and the waist is of greater rigidity than would be the case if the entire shaft were made of hickory. At this point it Will be evident that due to the hardness of the strips 7 and 8 and the reenforcement afforded thereby, the shaft may be made; more slender than the ordinary shaft of a golf stick and that consequently it will be subjected to less wind resistance than a shaft of larger cross sectional dimensions. It will likewise be ,observed that inasmuch as the core 5 of the shaft is of very gradually decreasing cross sectional dimensions from its waist portion to its butt end, the shaft from the waist portion toward the butt end thereof will be of gradually decreasing resiliency and increasing rigidity so that the waist portion of the shaft is reenforced without impairing its resiliency.` A

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 6 of the drawings, the core of the shaft is indicated by the numeral 10 and is, as' in the embodiment shown in Figures 4 and 5, rectangular in crosssection, and in this embodiment, substantially sector-shaped strips 11 of hard wood are applied and adhesively united to the .longitudinal facesof edge portions of relatively adjacnt'ones of the strips being mutually united adhesively so that a 'composite structure is produced.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figure 7 of the drawings, the

13, and in this embodiment, the core is formed with transversely concave or iiuted longitudinal -side faces 14 of substantially the same dimensions as the faces of the cores of the previously described embodiments, and the strips 13 are of elliptical form lin cross sectionand are disposed against the faces 14 and adhesively united thereto as well as to each other at the corners between the said faces 14 and as indicated by the.,

numeral 15.

In the embodiment shown in Fi re 8 of the drawin the core, which is indlcated byl the numera 16, is cruciform in cross section so that it has longitudinally extending relatively angularly disposed faces indicated by the numeral 17, and in this embodiment, the hard wood strips are of segmental form in cross section, these strips, which are indicated by the numeral 18,.being disposed in the angles between relatively adjacentones of the faces 17 and in abutment with said faces and adhesively united thereto.

From the foregoing it will be evident that in all forms of the invention, the shaft comprises a core of resilient wood having the major portion of its length, -from its butt end, of cross sectional contour tol provide longitudinal faces, and that strips of hard wood possessing a greater degree of hardness than the wood of the core are disposed against and united to the said faces, these strips, in all instances, merging with the surface of the core substantially portion 3 of theshaft.

`If desired, in order to materially reenat the waist force theV composite shaft, bindings 19, as

for exampleof fine si1k,.. may beap lied about the shaft at any .suitable interva s in the length thereof so as to encom ass the l strips and also the core of the sha where both the strips and the -core are presented at the surface of the shaft. Having thus described the invention, what I claim' 1s:- v

1. A golf club shafteomprising a core of resilient wood having. the port1on of its `length betweenits butt end and its waist of cross sectional contour to provide longitudinal faces, and strips of wood possessin a greater degree of hardness vthan the core 'sposed against and united to the said faces,

- the said strips merging with the surface of the core at the waist of the shaft.

2. A golf club shaft comprising a core of i Vresilient wood having its waist of circular form in cross section and from its waist to its butt end being of lcross sectional contour to provlde longitudinal faces,'and stri s of wood, possessing ,a greater degree of ha ness than the core disposed against and united to said faces, the sald strips being of decreasing width in the direct-ion of the said core at the said Waist.

3. A golf clubI shaft comprising av core of resilient Wood having the portion of its length between its Waist and its butt end of gradually decreasing cross sectional dimensions and of a cross sectional contour to provide longitudinal faces, and strips of Wood possessing a greater degree of hardness than the core disposed against and united to the said faces, the said strips decreasing in thickness and width from the. butt end of the shaft to the Waist of the shaft and merging with the surface of the core at the said Waist.

In testimony whereof I aix my signature.

CUTHBERT S. BUTCHART. [Ls] 

